Stacked Cheerleaders
 

At an area gym, the cheerleaders usually line up in single file with backs to the wall off the endline. Due to the roomy nature of the area off the endline, there has never really been a problem with them getting in the way when we needed to work deep. But they did something different last night which we needed to address. They took up half the lateral area but chose to stack themselves two and sometimes three deep, which brought them closer to the endline and in our way from time-to-time.
The cheerleading coach was advised of our desire for them to revert to a single-deep lineup and outside the free throw lanes extended. She complied but asked her AD what rule existed that she didn't know about. He asked me, and so I'm asking you.
I can't find anything in the NFHS books nor from our state association about cheerleaders on the endline.
Do you know of some documentation that prohibits or addresses this?

Freddy Certainly Got My Attention ...
 

Deceptive thread titles should be banned from the Forum. This is low hanging fruit. No challenge. I'm sure that Mark Padgett will be moseying along shortly to post an image.

I will admit that I thought this thread was going in another direction. ;)

That being said there are no rules from the NF, but maybe rules from your state or local organizations that mandate this. Cheerleaders are not a right and unless there is some standard if they get in your way they can be moved. Cheerleaders and their coaches should have enough sense to realize that if someone is near them they should move. But that is not always the case.

Peace

NFHS rule 2-8-1NOTE..."When team supporters become unruly or interfere with the game, the officials shall stop the game until the host management resolves the situation and the game can proceed in an orderly manner."

If they're in the way, get host management to clear 'em out.

This might fall under 2-3. I was going to say, "Don't be a plumber." Know your audience is a good credo.

Unless your state or locale has a standard, then it's strictly a safety issue. I simply remind the cheerleaders that if there's a collision, I'm not going to be the one who gets hurt (most likely).
If the cheer coach is talking to you, remind her of that fact, and of the fact that we run full speed sometimes with our heads turned the other direction.
And, as JR alludes, to, as far as we're concerned, the cheerleaders are fans.

Too easy. Unless, of course, they were male cheerleaders. :eek:

What does a pancake fund raiser have to do with........

They sureasheck are team supporters and thus are covered under 2-8-1NOTE

The NFHS prints a Spirit and Cheer Manual. In it, it states that cheerleaders are NOT allowed to stand during a live ball.

Our state association went a step further and included it in the state handbook.

Sure wish the Fed would put it in the basketball rule book. Wouldn't that be a dandy idea?

????

Chaned to correct cite...2-8-1NOTE

Oh, I don't know. Maybe the Common Sense rule. Or the Safety rule.

In my single days this happened frequently :D:cool:

And in her two-word response, I know what the word before "you" was.

I still get to do that because my wife is a cheer coach.:D

I've almost had this happen. During a scrimmage the coach was crowding the sideline during a fast break and I went running by him, he was close enough I could feel the split in the air you get when passing something. Then there was another game where a few fans had gathered down at the corner of the gym but they were partially on the floor (just gym, not playing). Here I come sprinting stride for stride with the break away player and the end line was quite spacious so to get in position I did a turn which put me really close to the fans (a couple of good ole boys shootin the rancher BS, I'm guessing) and I brushed one of them because I hadn't fully slowed down yet. Next time down the court I came with good speed on me, there weren't any good ole boys that far out.
I don't mind collision with any of the ten kids on the court, I can deal with that, but if you're stationary and see my butt haulin towards you and you haven't seen me look at you or adjust to a different path of travel....MOVE! If I knock you down, thats your fault, I'm trying to make sure I'm where I'm needed to keep your kid safe and make the proper call.

I actually had this happen once - while sprinting down just inside the sideline looking over my shoulder while covering a fast break, a cheerleader stepped into my path and I hit her at full speed. It barely slowed me down, but she flew about 5 feet through the air and slid another 10 after landing - fortunately she wasn't seriously injured, but I'll bet she was a very sore young lady for a day or three afterward.

Ever since, I've made it a point that whenever there are cheerleaders at the game, I talk to the head cheerleader using that incident as an example and make it clear that for safety reasons, we don't want them within 3 feet of a sideline or 6 feet of an endline when the ball is live.

Must Have Been A Rookie Cheerleader ...
 

The old, old trail becomes new lead, over the shoulder, hit the cheerleader trick. Been there. Done that.

Been there, done that....but.....

The cheerleader was bent over picking up some pom-pom crap. I flew 5 feet through the air and slid another 10 feet after landing. Fortunately I wasn't injured but I was a very sore JR for a day or three afterward. The cheerleader? She giggled.

That would be a hung jury

I must admit that I "clipped" a cheerleader a few years back. I was completely unaware of it till an angry mother came up and confronted me. I actually remember during the game running down the floor and it felt like I hit something but didn't see anything so just ignored it. Come to find out I sent a poor girl flying about 4 rows into the bleachers. Oops.

Et tu, Brute?
 

Since everybody else is lining up at the confessional, I might as well admit I did, too. Back in college I sandwiched an seventh grade cheerleader between me and a concrete block wall on the end of a fast break. Her relative, how shall I say it, "portliness" cushioned me from injury, but she didn't fare too well.
Thanks to all who responded to this relevant post. Your responses have been summarized and communicated to the AD involved.

You knocked a person that far and didn't realize you ran in to something as big as a person (even if it was a small teenage)?

I'd think that running into someone even half my size such that they were knocked back that far would be obvious...and probably hurt a little.

Let me take you back to 1970. I was working at a radio station in the Chicago suburbs and doing football and basketball games over the air, including some college basketball games. At one of the HS games, a rather large official running full speed knocked smack into a cheerleader who was at that place where the endline and sideline meet and he sent her flying. She fell into the endline bleachers and bonked her head pretty bad. They had to call an ambulance. It turned out she wasn't seriously hurt, thank goodness. The thing I remember most about the incident is that the school didn't hold up the game at all and we were already late in Q4 of a 30+ point blowout by the home team. They should have just called it. There was a delay of almost 45 minutes. I had a lot of airtime to fill, let me tell you.

Nope. Saw the tape. She weighed MAYBE 80 lbs and was standing very close to the sidelines. You can see where I looked back thinking I hit something, but the video shows her several rows in the bleacher. She may have been startled and jumped while i hit her, couldn't tell. I just remember thinking I hit something and looking back and not seeing anything so I just kept going.
Luckily the AD and Prinicpal were there to help out. THey both told the mother "That is why we don't let our students walk down the sides of the court when the ball is in play".
And not that I am completely heartless. I ALMOST felt bad:D